The word “mixologist” tends to conjure up images of an urban lumberjack-type who silently judges you for wanting a rum and coke, but in the case of Rene Woodmencey, the term is both well-earned and unpretentious: she infuses her own liquor with locally harvested herbs, but she loves a greyhound sloshie, too.
Woodmencey has always enjoyed cooking with fresh ingredients, and her natural creativity in the kitchen combined with good people skills made bartending a perfect fit. While behind the bar at Teton Tiger, she began to experiment with infusing liquor and trying out new, often surprising flavor profiles. In 2017, she entered the Wyoming Whiskey Bartender Shootout competition, and left with the resolution to branch out on her own.
These days, she is creating craft cocktails alongside her boyfriend and fellow server/bartender, Cam Fitzpatrick, as the couple runs their own mobile bar service, Bar-Sip-Bar, out of a renovated horse trailer.
The couple named their business Bar-Sip-Bar as a nod to their Jackson upbringing– the word “bar” refers to a symbol used in cattle branding and is often used in ranch names. Both Woodmencey and Fitzpatrick are born and bred Jackson locals with extensive experience in the food and beverage industry, and this new business venture will hopefully allow them to stay and thrive in their home valley.
While balancing his career as a pro snowboarder and picking up shifts at Teton Thai, where he has worked since he was a teenager, Fitzpatrick spent every spare second this past winter turning an old horse trailer into a souped up, full-service bar on wheels. The finished product will make the rounds this summer at outdoor weddings and events, and will offer beer, wine, craft cocktails and even sloshie machines, depending on the customer’s budget and requests. The cocktail menu will feature Woodmencey originals such as gimlets made with herbal-infused gin, summery mango margaritas and crisp pomegranate martinis. Once the seasons change, the bar service will remain operational and still cater to indoor events.
If you’ve ever been to a wedding or hosted a party or event, then you already KNOW how good of an idea a mobile bar service is… and this good idea has the seriously delicious resume to back it up. This summer, look out for the boozy blue horse trailer with a line out the door!
